At the launch of the new Nissan NP300 Navara in Bangkok, we managed to catch up with Nissan chief planning officer Andy Palmer to discuss the company’s direction and product strategy, particularly for the Asian region.

Palmer hinted that the situation could be remedied some way down the line. “You can see [from the Navara] that up until [the C-pillar point] it’s very SUV in its look. Am I able to confirm it today? No, but it’s technically possible to make that happen, and there’s clearly room in Nissan’s portfolio because we consider ourselves a 4×4/crossover type of company.”

He was also positive about the company’s prospects as a whole in Asia, particularly in South East Asia. “There is enormous growth [in the region], and a significant amount of Nissan’s resources go into understanding those customer demands. In that sense, it is helpful to be an Asian company – it’s a little bit easier to empathise, and product planning is mostly about empathy.”

Palmer added that customers will start to see cars bespoke to the region, mentioning the Lannia concept unveiled in Beijing earlier in the year as a prime example. “While it’s [designed] for China, I think it would equally well fit into South East Asia.

“Asia is really setting fashion and thinking trends for the rest of the world, so it’s important to be deeply inside [this region]. That’s why, for example, we moved our Infiniti division to Hong Kong.”

As for the recently revived Datsun brand, which is currently present in Indonesia, India, Russia and – as of last week – South Africa, Palmer believes that it has the capability to expand in South East Asia.

“Wherever you can imagine fast-developing markets, wherever you can see an inflection point where the populace starts to consider trading from motorcycles to cars, that’s where Datsun needs to be. We can give them a very modern-looking car at a very affordable price.”

“The GO+ [was developed] principally with Indonesia in mind, but the importance [of the extra third row] is not limited to Indonesia, but is also applicable in Malaysia and in other places like Myanmar. Myanmar and Vietnam are interesting places we are looking at, but it’s eminently reasonable that you could imagine those cars coming to Malaysia as well.”

The GO+, known as the GO+ Panca in Indonesia, starts from 85 million Indonesian Rupiah (RM23,000). How much do you think it would cost over here, and do you think Tan Chong would be able to make a business case for Datsun here?

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

Imagine u r earning 1500/month. Two aging patents and 3 kids. Ur wife is getting 1500/month. And u have a motorbike that bring ur kids to clinic when they r sick, bring u to market when u need to buy ur weekly stuff. With Go+ Now u have a chance, to give a better shelter and safer vehicle as compared to motorbike. u pay probably about 250/month for 9 years, ur kids may go to school together even If there’s rain.

For those of u who earn very much more, u may not need it But don’t look down at others who r not as wealthy as u.

for rm23k the spec more less is like Daihatsu Ayla…no aircond,no audio din, no power windows, no immobilizer, no central lock..safety part im not sure coz they do not mention in the website most probably not exist either..u can check it urself..no point to thumb down me oni

Well, I have to agree on this. Malaysians deserve higher spec cars, different from Indonesians. Datsun brand is not appropriate in Malaysia, as it will motivate other foreign brand cars to bring ’empty tin cans’ here. When Toyota introduced the Vios more than a decade ago, middle class Malaysians were downgraded to only afford B-segment as the C-segment sedan price rose above RM100K. Less space, less safer & less equipment. It became a norm, and the old bread-n-butter Corolla & Civic suddenly gained ‘luxury’ status as they are beyond reach of most people.

Bring back the legend, Datsun 120Y (say 2015 edition). Proven reliability that can be used more than 20 years! Abt Navara based SUV, it doesn’t sound feasible bcoz just how many ppl bought Toyota Fortuner compare to Hilux? Unless Nissan has more than enough extra cash to drained out…

If Tan Chong is able to price the Datsun less than 35K,Protong’s current best seller,the SAGA SV will see intense competition and may mean Protong’s annual volume dropping below 100.000 units.
This scenario is not likely ,cos Protong is still in intensive care like Michael Shumacher and still needs an unfair advantage after 25 years!!!What a shame,overgrown and cacat baby,Protong.

You can either post as a guest or have an option to register. Among the advantages of registering is once a name has been registered, a guest cannot post using that name. If you have an account, please login before commenting. If you wish to have a profile photo next to your name, register at Gravatar using the same e-mail address you use to comment.